AR pistol--how to make one legally

[oldcodger44]

I was looking thru here for the info on making a legal AR pistol.
Can someone give me the rundown or point me in the right direction?
Any help would be appreciated.

Karl

[cgseanp1]

For starters I think you have to get a lower that is marked "pistol" or whatever they say. I'm interested myself so I'll follow this thread. Ok, so I was wrong about the pistol part.

[DaveInOroValley]

Go here and check out their info:

http://www.norsearmory.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=7&zenid=kb1vaudomomjhbl4aavd4tlba5

[DannyInSoCal]

As I understand it:

1) We must use a dedicated pistol lower.
2) The lower must never have been registered as a rifle.
3) We cannot "build" an AR pistol over a period of time - Since owning just the lower without a dedicated pistol upper is not legal.

You don't have your state in your profile info - So this only applies to CA.

After researching this I came to the decision the easiest way is to buy an AR pistol complete.

Please update the info if I came to the wrong conclusions.

Thanx, DISC

[psssniper]

Since owning just the lower without a dedicated pistol upper is not legal.

I think that's the other way around, you cant own the pistol upper without the completed pistol lower especially if you have AR type rifles around that you potentially could put the pistol upper on

[Rukus]

You cannot have a pistol upper without a pistol lower. It does not matter whether the lower is completed or not, however it is most likely that it will be completed already for the DROS process.

Lower does NOT need to be marked "Pistol". Think about it, do any of your other handguns say pistol on them?

Current ways to get an AR Pistol:
-Buy a complete, dimensionally compliant, single-shot Pistol
-Build one from an 80% lower
-PPT a pistol lower from someone who has already DROS'd it in State (stripped or completed, doesnt matter)

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

As I understand it:

1) We must use a dedicated pistol lower. The lower does not have to be marked "Pistol" or be otherwise dedicated but 2) must be true (Edit - recent ATFE rulings indicate that if a buttstock has never been installed, the receiver can be completed as a pistol. That doesn't help us in CA as receivers can't be purchased from a FFL as anything other than long guns. See Ruckus' post above.)
2) The lower must never have been registered as a rifle.
3) We cannot "build" an AR pistol over a period of time - Since owning just the lower without a dedicated pistol upper is not legal. As noted, it's the other way around. Possession of an upper with a <16" barrel without a pistol receiver constitutes constructive possession of a short barreled rifle.


You don't have your state in your profile info - So this only applies to CA.

After researching this I came to the decision the easiest way is to buy an AR pistol complete.

Please update the info if I came to the wrong conclusions.

Thanx, DISC

Ruckus types faster than me, darn it

[cgseanp1]

You cannot have a pistol upper without a pistol lower. It does not matter whether the lower is completed or not, however it is most likely that it will be completed already for the DROS process.

Lower does NOT need to be marked "Pistol". Think about it, do any of your other handguns say pistol on them?

Current ways to get an AR Pistol:
-Buy a complete, dimensionally compliant, single-shot Pistol
-Build one from an 80% lower
-PPT a pistol lower from someone who has already DROS'd it in State (stripped or completed, doesnt matter)

No, they don't, but then again none of my pistols could easily be converted to a rifle. Either way, my bad.

Would this be legal: I buy an OLL out of state (I'm an AZ resident) and bring it back with me to CA, then turn it into an AR pistol?

[DannyInSoCal]

Kool - Thanks for the correct info.

So we can buy a pistol lower - We just can't buy the pistol upper first.

This state is FUBAR'd.....

Am I correct that if the lower was originally DROS'd as a rifle it can't be used for a pistol...?

Thanx, DISC

[Reductio]

Good luck finding a lower you can DROS as a pistol....

Most of the time you'll either need to DROS a complete pistol, or drill out your own 80%. If you have a completed 80% that's ready to go, but which never had a buttstock attached, THEN you can have a pistol upper. If you have a <16" upper and a long-gun AR-15 lower, then you're in trouble..

[cgseanp1]

Good luck finding a lower you can DROS as a pistol....

Most of the time you'll either need to DROS a complete pistol, or drill out your own 80%. If you have a completed 80% that's ready to go, but which never had a buttstock attached, THEN you can have a pistol upper. If you have a <16" upper and a long-gun AR-15 lower, then you're in trouble..

What about my idea of buying out of state (I'm AZ resident) and then building the pistol here? I'm not sure if it's the same since I'm not buying a "rifle" here in CA.

[wildhawker]

This is correct; however, please don't "grow your own" at this time unless you are VERY FAMILIAR with all applicable law.

-Brandon

You cannot have a pistol upper without a pistol lower. It does not matter whether the lower is completed or not, however it is most likely that it will be completed already for the DROS process.

Lower does NOT need to be marked "Pistol". Think about it, do any of your other handguns say pistol on them?

Current ways to get an AR Pistol:
-Buy a complete, dimensionally compliant, single-shot Pistol
-Build one from an 80% lower
-PPT a pistol lower from someone who has already DROS'd it in State (stripped or completed, doesnt matter)

[veterosa]

I one for sale if anyone is interested.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=355561

[dwtt]

So, if an out of state resident were to happen to have an extra AR or AK pistol receiver, completely stripped and originally sold as a pistol receiver in the other state were to move to CA and bring the receiver along, would he or she need to build up the pistol first before filling out that DOJ form and paying $19? Just curious.

[psssniper]

I think that's the other way around, you cant own the pistol upper without the completed pistol lower especially if you have AR type rifles around that you potentially could put the pistol upper on

When I said "completed pistol lower" I based that on the assumption that we can't get a stripped pistol lower sent here to calif. Of course many pistols have been built on 80%'ers.
As wildhawker has noted be aware and on top of all the rules and regs, chapter and verse.
Sometimes being on the bleeding edge of things gets you bloody......